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Atari 8-bit Software Preservation Initiative


Farb

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Hope it's ok if I post 3 images, I couldn't figure out how to get them inside the spoiler tag. I posted the M.U.L.E. image twice because it shows both sides of the demonstration card, giving instructions for the seller. Unfortunately for the value of the thing, its disk housing was preventing the actual disk from spinning, so at some point I ripped open the disk housing and transferred the actual disk to another housing. Oh well? I actually bought it on ebay probably in the early 2000's so it's not an artifact from my childhood. I'd prefer not to mail out disks and risk them getting x-rayed and destroyed or lost in the mail, hopefully I can afford to buy one of those devices.

Is anyone in the Pittsburgh area by chance? I wouldn't mind if they would be ripped locally and returned. 

 

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Edited by Particle Man
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If a disk is binding in its jacket, often this can be 'fixed' (at least temporarily) by rubbing the edges of the disk jacket perpendicular to a hard surface (like a desk edge).  This reduces the 'clamping' that the jacket is doing on the media itself.

 

I only recently learned of this myself, and it came in handy and works pretty well.

 

 

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BTW @Particle Man,

 

Be careful with Flight Simulator II.  When I went through and imaged all of my disks, This is the only one that shed oxide.  At least for my copy they must have used cheaper disks.

 

I had a few other games that I don't think they'd stand up to a significant number of further reads.... but FS2 was the only one that actually shed.

 

I don't know if anyone has ever tried it with diskettes, but some people with tapes have treated sticky tape and shedding tape with NuFinish.  Wipe on, wipe off approach.  Its an idea I keep in my back pocket should I ever run into a disk that clearly looks like it will shed... (and a disk that I wouldn't particularly care about should the idea not work :-).  Maybe someone else can comment on this.  Seems dubious to me, and unlike reel to reel tape players where the heads are easy to get to and clean, disk drives (when fully assembled) are not as easy to clean (by hand).... but I thought I'd put this 'wild' ? idea out there to see if anyone has ever tried it for disk application.

 

 

 

 

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I may have missed this, but is there a general list of "stuff we need" somewhere?

 

Somewhere in my archives (heh) I have a few bags old Atari 8-bit stuff.  My uncle gave it to me in the early 90s when I got a disk drive for my Atari XEGS... I doubt I have anything extra rare, but I believe I had the original manuals for a large number of them.  I'm not sure I can still FIND them, but I thought I should know what to keep my eye out for.

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Just now, luckybuck said:

Thanks to you both! Well, sometimes people find something in the basement or on the roof... garage buy, too. ;-)

I'm in Sacramento, and when I was in high school I often found Atari 8-bit cartridges in local thrift stores... and just after college, I found two 2600 "Lab Loaner" protos (which I sold to someone in German via ebay... ah, so long ago).  I've often assumed some old Atari folks moved to general Sacramento region for retirement, which might explain those loaner carts...

 

Wasn't Synapse (or someone like that) based out here in the Sacramento region?

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Richmond:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synapse_Software

 

But the guys are in our hearts forever!

 

-Synapse Software: SynMail; was finished according to Steve Hales, but after SynCalc und SynFile+ never sold to the public. So, somewhere out there, it may exists
-Synapse Software: SynText; was finished according to Steve Hales, but after SynCalc und SynFile+ never sold to the public. So, somewhere out there, it may exists
-Synapse Software: SynTax; ever shipped? Status, as of 2015, is complete unclear.

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10 minutes ago, luckybuck said:

Richmond:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synapse_Software

 

But the guys are in our hearts forever!

 

-Synapse Software: SynMail; was finished according to Steve Hales, but after SynCalc und SynFile+ never sold to the public. So, somewhere out there, it may exists
-Synapse Software: SynText; was finished according to Steve Hales, but after SynCalc und SynFile+ never sold to the public. So, somewhere out there, it may exists
-Synapse Software: SynTax; ever shipped? Status, as of 2015, is complete unclear.

SOMETHING was in Sacramento...

(Google search)

 

SIRIUS Software!

 

I remember stumbling across that when reading about the strange path of Nasir Gebelli, who ended up programming Famicom titles for Square...

Edited by DavidD
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45 minutes ago, luckybuck said:

We should all consider to rise up a worldwide 'wanted list' like Michael Current did with the ATARI FAQ...

The challenge with a "wanted" list is that we don't know necessarily know all the titles that are out there. Just look at the rate that Atarimania and a8preservation are still adding new titles to their databases. It would be a shame if someone didn't contribute something we've never heard of because it isn't on the want list. I think a "preserved" list could be better since people would know they have something worth contributing if it is not on the list.

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